Naples mother arrested after young son wanders road

A Collier County mother was arrested after an off-duty Fish and Wildlife officer found her son wandering Lely Cultural Parkway Sunday evening.

The FWC officer reported noticing the young boy attempting to flag down cars on the four-lane road just before 11 p.m.

When the officer stopped for the child, he told him that he was scared of monsters.

The officer took the child to a nearby Collier County off-duty deputy who is a courtesy officer at the apartment complex closest to the incident.

Investigators found that the boy and his younger sister were left alone in their apartment. The girl was found unharmed, asleep in her crib.

The mother, Anna Thomas, was contacted through information from the child and deputy. She told investigators where she was, but that information was redacted from public record. She returned home to speak with investigators and meet with the children.

Thomas' driver's license had been suspended indefinitely for being a habitual traffic offender, leaving investigators with additional questions about why she was out driving Sunday evening.

The Department of Children and Families opened their own investigation, and the children are in the care of family.

Thomas, 25, is charged with child neglect with great bodily harm and was released on a $5,000 bond.